A Love of All Things Shiny
by CordovanLily
Summary: Alyswen has a really good reason to hate vampires. So when the Dawnguard pass through Riften looking for help in the fight, Aly is eager to return once more to those who rescued her all those years ago. But nothing is ever simple, especially when Daedric Lords get involved. Now saddled with a companion of near infinite cosmic power, Aly seeks to return things to the way they were.
1. Prologue

Darkness. That was all she could see. That was all she wanted to see, for it meant that the monsters were somewhere else. When they came to her, they made sure to bring torches. They certainly didn't need the light to find their way, but it was for her; so she could see them in all of their horrifying splendor. It was meant to entice her, to try and sway her into associating them with food, safety, and warmth. Not that she ever came close to forgetting exactly what these creatures were. Or what they had done.

The smell of damp earth and mildew permeated the air. It was pointless to fumble around in the dark, better to curl up in the slightly musty hay and try to rest. Her whole body hurt. Cuts had scabbed over, though a few still cracked and oozed if she moved the wrong way. Skin was tender and swollen in places where she'd been struck. Even laying in the dark, trying to take stock of every injury was enough to bring her back to that night. Though it seemed like an eternity had passed, tears still sprung to her eyes.

A shift in the light caught her attention. Someone was coming down the passage leading into her little hole. She shuffled to the back wall, huddling in her hay and staring with wide eyes at the iron bars that separated her from them, watching warily. The light illuminated her tiny world just enough to see the shapes around her. Her stringy black hair fell in her face a bit as she shuddered. She knew what was coming. They would give her food. If she did not eat, they would beat her. They would bring comfort in the form of nice words, blankets, and toys. If she did not respond, they would beat her. Some days she struggled to keep the line between friend and foe clearly defined.

Other days, she could not help but see her mother and father, bloodied and mangled, standing behind them as they enticed her. Their eyes staring soullessly at her from atop pale necks painted red with their own life's blood. The times that her parents were there were the times that the monsters were particularly mean. They would attack her for the slightest hint of dissension or willfulness. But she didn't care. The sooner they beat her into oblivion, the sooner she would escape her parents' haunting gaze.

Suddenly the world darkened once again as the monster took another path and took the light with them. The girl watched curiously, though relief flooded her ragged body. It wasn't often that the monsters carried torches unless they were approaching her. Perhaps another soul was captured and being held for their amusement? No matter, the monsters were not bothering her this time.

She curled into her pile of hay, not caring about the stench of filth that permeated the holding cell as she drew in a deep breath. Sighing, she settled in to sleep. Usually her sleep was blessedly dreamless. But occasionally, she would dream happy dreams, memories that spanned the course of her short ten years of life. Sometimes she would be traveling with her father as he attended business in one hold or another. Others, she would sit by the fire with her mother, playing with her dolls as the older woman read her favorite stories aloud. These were the dreams that she dreaded the most. A fleeting happiness that vanished under the cruel grasp of the waking world.

Time passed, though to the girl it could have been mere minutes, hours, or even days. The darkness kept her from forming any kind of cycle with which to measure time. The monsters brought her food often enough, but with nothing by which to judge except the growling of her stomach, she couldn't tell if she was being brought meals regularly or simply whenever any of the monsters happened to realize she'd not been fed.

Suddenly, she heard another shuffle down the passage that lead to her tiny cage. Cringing as the light entered her room, the young girl scrambled up and dashed forward, pressing herself against the bars, her eyes wide to catch as much of light they could. Just because she enjoyed the darkness and the solitude it brought, didn't mean that she did not long to see the sun again. She yearned for that light. And while the torches brought the monsters with them, at least she was able to remember the sun and the warmth of the Sommerset Isles.

The shuffling came closer, bringing with it the smell of warm soup. The young girl's stomach growled, betraying her condition to the creature holding the torch and the platter. It smirked; a smug expression crawling across it's nearly human face as it approached. "Hungry, are we?" It asked with a soft, slightly musical cadence. The girl winced, she knew this one. It scared her.

"Well, lucky for you, the master was feeling extra generous today and had a stew made from venison. _Just for you_." It hissed, narrowing its glowing red eyes at her as she placed the food on the ground in front of the bars. The girl shivered in terror, unwilling to approach. The creature before her looked almost exactly like a human woman. A beautiful human woman, with long red hair and porcelain skin. Her make-up was flawless, which was nearly impossible in the damp cave where they made their home, and her nails were immaculate, also difficult for much the same reason. But it was her eyes that alerted the wary to her true nature; Scarlet red and full of boundless evil. _Vampire_.

The creature dashed forward and grabbed a bunch of the girls long black hair and yanked her head back, away from the bars that she clung to. "Filthy creature. Why is my master so smitten with you? I'll never understand it." It sneered, tips of fangs glinting in the torch light. "If I thought for just a second that my master wouldn't kill me, I'd drain you dry, just like I did that handsome man you called 'Father'."

The little girl hissed in pain as the creature threw her backwards onto her rump. It stalked the outside of her cage like a fox looking for the way into the larder. The girl watched her closely with tears in her golden eyes, unable to tear them away from the predator that sneered at her. "I know that my master doesn't find the body of a child to be appealing," It said, running her hands up and down its exposed body. The clothes it wore did little to cover her womanly charms. "So, what is it about you he finds so intriguing?" It came closer, beckoning her with a long, white finger.

The girl crawled forward, even if it felt wrong to approach the creature her instincts knew to be a dangerous, insatiable predator; she knew her place. The consequences of disobedience were harsh. Once within reach, the creature grabbed her by the chin and held her in a stony grip. It tilted her head back and forth, examining her skin and hair. Pale fingers invaded her mouth and allowed the creature to inspect her teeth. It peered closely at her eyes, looking in the corners and checking their clarity. It was as if the girl were merely a farm animal out for sale and the creature was a discerning buyer.

"He tells us that you are not to be harmed. That Altmer blood, especially your blood, is both powerful and delicious." The creature leaned in close, its free flowing red hair surrounded them like a halo of fire as it closed its' eyes. It inhaled the girl's scent long and deep. When it opened its eyes again, focusing the twin flames on her, it grinned viciously. "Perhaps my master will forgive me if I take a small taste for myself. You can even say that you offered it to me in exchange for my _protection_ from the others, yes?" The creature stared into her golden eyes, pressing, needing, wanting, calling. Everything else around them ceased to hold color or even meaning. All that mattered to the little girl was that she keep staring into those deep, golden red pools. The girl stared wide eyed as she fought the beguilement the creature was attempting to place her under. Everything in her rebelled, instinctively knowing the danger she was in. But try as she might, she just couldn't seem to turn away.

Then, something moved behind the creature. Two somethings. The movement captured the child's gaze and she stared up at the lifeless faces of her mother and father. Their blood-drained faces watched her dispassionately, but in her mind she heard them screaming.

 _Duck_!

The young girl flung herself downwards, breaking eye contact with the creature. "Wha—AAARRRGGH!" It screeched, blood flying from her unprotected abdomen as a sword protruded from her skin, the tip stopping where the girl's face had been seconds before. The girl closed her eyes and covered her ears as she listened to the muffled cries of a raging battle. An eternity passed, the girl simply lay there, awaiting the new horror with the hope that this one would end her. She was so very tired of waiting to die.

"Is the child bitten?" came the gruff voice of a man. The girl curled in on herself, hoping they would either kill her or leave. _Monsters. Monsters. Monsters._ Came the constant litany in her mind. Everyone was a monster, just toying with her until they decided to grant her death. When she felt a large hand on her head, her mind snapped.

She flinched backwards, rolling and scrambling across the floor in a mad bid to flee the contact. These were not the monsters she knew. These were not the ones that teased her. That put her on a lead and walked her around the caves as if she were a common pet. That sat her on a cushion next to the master vampire's chair at the head of their communal feeding table. These were not the monsters she knew.

So she screamed.

Even as one of the men held his crossbow pointed steady at her heart, she screamed. The days, weeks, months, of terror had finally taken their toll. As she screamed, her tiny, dirty hands clawed at her own face, seeking to gouge out her own eyes in a desperate bid to escape by any means.

"Wait!" she heard a voice cry, though she couldn't comprehend it. "Just stop Isran! She's scared out of her wits as it is."

Suddenly, a large blur moved towards her, striking her in the back of the head before she had time to react. The blow caused a bright light to flash in her eyes. As the glow gently faded into darkness, dragging her with it into dreamless sleep, she heard a deep guttural voice whisper softly to her.

"Easy now. You are safe."

 _Safe._


	2. Chapter 1

A Love of All Things Shiny

"And so, I'll be leaving the day to day operations of the Thieves Guild in Brynjolf and Karliah's capable hands for the foreseeable future." A burly redguard man stated from behind a large wooden desk. There was an audible silence, broken only by the wooshing noise of the cistern's water and the occasional muffled squeak of skeevers deeper in the undercroft.

The redguard chuckled. "Nothing? I thought no one could pull a fast one on the Thieves of Riften's Ratway? Surely you all wondered why I was spending so much time in Whiterun? Someone must have seen this coming!"

"Who are we to know where the Dragonborn goes? Or what Dragonborn business he conducts." Delvin Mallory asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he shrugged.

"Delvin, we both know that the pot has to be won, my friend. Why not acquiesce gracefully and keep your dignity? Else I will have to put you on your arse." The redguard laughed, watching merrily as the bald man squirmed and glared at him.

"Technically, no one bet that were getting engaged, Nareed, so no one's won the damn pool then." Delvin grumbled, clutching tightly to a purse hanging from his belt. There was a mixed reaction from the large group gathered, ranging from agreement to mutterings of mutiny, though those were mostly made in jest. Mostly.

"Then no one will mind if the Groom-to-be takes the winnings for his honeymoon fund." Nareed said, leaning forward to gracefully pluck the heavy bag of coins. The grumbling grew louder, but no one dared to step forward to claim the gold for themselves.

"All joking aside, lad, you think that the Guild is well off enough to continue on without you?" A large, red-haired man stepped forward from the crowd, eyeing up Nareed. "We've had a lot of luck so far, what makes you think it will continue?" He asked, his grey-green eyes were not searching but shinning with laughter at an inside joke between them.

"Nocturnal is on our side once again. Lady Luck will continue to bless us, even if I am a few days ride away."

Another stepped forward, this time a woman who kept her hood low over her eyes, preferring to peer at Nareed from within her personal shadows. "Congratulations are in order, but I have to wonder why you insist on living in Whiterun. Couldn't you simply bring your betrothed here?"

"It isn't that simple, Karliah." Nareed said, rubbing his temples as if he were tired of repeating an old argument. "She needs to be in a more central location in Skyrim for her caravans. Not to mention, there's talks in the works for her to purchase the Bannered Mare. For now, Whiterun is where we will be staying." Nareed didn't raise his voice, but his tone was firm enough to let everyone know just how serious he was about ending this matter. The group shuffled a bit. Karliah did not appear contrite at all for having just questioned her Guild Master in front of their entire company.

Moving on, Nareed motioned to the rest of them. "For the senior among you, you've been through worse than a wayward Guild Master. I expect you all to help our newer members to keep growing into their own. Beyond that, there never has been much need for a Guild Master. You all certainly made it clear that you didn't want … how was it you put it Tonilia? _'An over-protective mother-bear of a man'_ hovering over your shoulders." He chuckled as a number of the group, including a redguard woman, glanced away sheepishly.

While Nareed joked with his guild, one watched the proceedings with a less than pleased expression. In fact, she seemed down right miserable as she looked down on the group. She was roughly twenty feet above the floor of the cistern, leaning against the wooden slats that covered one of the inlets to the reservoir below. She was one of the few people who could climb into the recess above the cistern, using a loose board as a makeshift door. She used it now to hide away. Her face was sharp, and her golden eyes watched the guild she'd called home for so long through a film of tears. It was too much. "Why?" she whispered.

She stood quickly, but with her graceful stealth she made no noise. Slipping back into shadows, she bent down to lift a large leather bag and slung it onto her shoulders. Without a glance behind her, she walked into the darkness.

ASASAS

It wasn't long before the secret escape she took out of the cistern lead her above ground. Pushing aside a loose iron bar, she wriggled out of the tunnel and onto the hillside on the north-western side of town. A small divet in the wall behind Mistveil Keep hid the entrance, and only a keen-eyed individual would notice that it was there, hidden as it was under a large bush.

When she was clear of the drainage's entrance, she reset the bush, making sure that no sign remained. Then, with a long, drawn out sigh, she hefted her bag higher on her shoulders and began to trek. "I'll find the road and then follow it north. There's plenty of marks in Windhelm to keep me occupied for a while. Plenty of sailors coming in with pockets to pick as well." She muttered to herself as she began her long, lonely journey.

However, she wasn't alone for long. Shortly after meeting the road, she heard heavy footsteps racing from the direction of Riften. She stepped off the road into the underbrush to hide in the shadows of the trees. Whoever was leaving Riften, she didn't want to take the chance that it was one of her guild family. Especially if they were only leaving on a short errand. Her dramatic departure would only be dramatic if she was well and truly _away_ when her absence was discovered.

"Aly! I know you're here somewhere!" Came a strong voice from the road side. "Just come out before I have to go traipsing through the woods like a damn bear just to find you." There was a pause while she tried to blend deeper into the shadows. "Bryn already noticed you were gone. He's the one who sent me."

"Damn that old man!" Aly cursed loudly before coming towards the road. "I bet he told everyone that I was just off sulking somewhere, didn't he?" she snarled as she approached a young man in traditional Thieves Guild armor. The man simply quirked an eyebrow at her, trying to hide his amusement.

"You should know Brynjolf better than that, Alyswen." He said, brushing some of his shoulder length brown hair from his strong Imperial face. "He might be a pain in the arse at times, but he never kicks us when we're down. He knows just how much Nareed's departure is hurting you." He said, shifting his expression to one of concern.

"Oh stuff it, Rune. I'm in no mood to play around." Aly shot him a glare before turning on her heel and continuing up the road. Rune waited a few moments before following. Aly sped up, only to have Rune match her pace, keeping only a few steps behind her at all times. "Oh for the love of Nocturnal! Leave me alone!" Aly said, turning around and laying her hand on her dagger.

"Aly, I know you. You wouldn't turn your dagger on a brother." Rune said, his voice growing harder in his anger. "Bryn says you're in no condition to be off by yourself. And quite frankly, seeing you now, I agree with him." Rune stepped closer, looking down at her slightly as his 6'2 frame gave him the high ground. Aly scowled up at him, hating when he tried this. Normally, she'd elbow him in the gut and gloat over his bent form, but today she was not in the mood to play.

"Go back. I'm not going to say it twice." Aly said, her voice low and dangerous. Rune smirked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." He scoffed. Aly hissed at him, turned on her heel and marched along the road. Rune began to follow her again.

"Fine. Be that way." Aly groused over her shoulder. "Just know that I'm leaving you at the first inn we stay at. Probably tied to the bed." When she turned to face forward, she missed the light blush that crept over Rune's tan face.

ASASAS

They traveled in silence mostly. Rune offering a friendly remark now and then made up the bulk of their conversation while on the road. Still, it left Aly time to compose herself in regards to her companion. No, she would never turn a dagger on her family, let alone her friend Rune. But neither had she wanted a babysitter. He was doing a very good job of making it seem as though he was anything but that, striking up friendly conversation about senior members of the guild or speculating just how long it would take for Vex to admit that she had feelings for the ever-persistent Delvin, but she still knew that he'd be sending regular correspondences to their acting Guild-Master.

Thinking of Bryn upset her. It was a sore spot that he still felt as though she couldn't handle herself, as if nearly ten years of dedicated service had not been enough of an indicator that she could not only survive in this world, but thrive. She'd come to the guild just as it began to climb back into Nocturnal's good graces and reap the benefits of that position. Nareed had just taken over the guild, filling the void Mercer Frey had left with his betrayal and repairing the damage he had caused with their patron. So when Brynjolf brought in his _'wee slip of a lass'_ Nareed was glad to have fresh blood within the ranks.

 _If you vouch for her Bryn, then she has a place here." Nareed had looked her over, trying to gauge the tiny, frail looking altmer before him. "Aren't you a bit small for a high elf?" he asked, unkowningly touching a nerve._

 _I'm the perfect height to shank you in the ribs if you call me short again." She growled. Brynjolf and Nareed exchanged a look and laughed heartily as they welcomed her into the guild._

 _It hadn't been quite so easy as that of course, as she still was technically under the guardianship of Grelod the Kind. And that evil crone was not going to let her leave without making some type of profit from her. The moment she'd shown her face outside of the Ratway, the guards grabbed her roughly and tossed her over their shoulder, taking her back to Honor Hall. They'd been waiting for her on either side of the Ratway's entrance on the northside of Riften's water-level. She'd cried out at the sudden man-handling, indignantly beating on the armored backs of the rather smelly guardsman with little effect._

 _As the guards took her into Honor Hall, she looked at the sky with longing and whimpered. 'I wish I could just fly away.' She thought to herself wistfully, knowing that unless the Thieves' Guild intervened, she was unlikely to see the sun again any time soon. The door closed heavily behind the second guard, hiding away the sun from her eyes._

"Alyswen?" Rune tried to gain her attention, waving his hand in front of her face as he gazed at her with worried brown eyes. Aly scowled at him, not because he was bothering her but because she was irritated that she'd allowed herself to be so caught up in her memories. "Did you hear me?"

"What Rune?" she asked, her voice curt as she stopped walking and stared at him. With her weight held on her left hip, she crossed her arms and waited for him to repeat himself. _'It's not like it's his fault that you're upset. Give him a break.'_ She chided herself. Rune quirked his eyebrow as her face softened ever so slightly, but did not ease its frustrated scowl. He smiled, glad that she was relaxing more as they put distance between them and Riften.

"I asked you where we're headed?" Rune asked, smirking at his friend. She sighed, wondering why he had to be just so damnably personable. It was impossible to stay mad at him. Aly sighed and turned her face northwards.

"Windhelm." She said, pointedly ignoring his expression of discomfort.

"Is that wis-" Aly shot him a small glare, silently daring him to finish his statement. He cleared his throat and looked away sheepishly. "What I mean is that the civil war has picked up some momentum. The vehemence of the Stormcloaks, especially within their capitol, is well known and, well, you're an altmer." He finished lamely.

"I don't really care about some bigoted, ice-brained separatists. Worst case scenario, we disappear and head towards Solitude." She said with a shrug. Aly pulled back her hood and let her long black hair fall around her face. This was one of the perks that Aly appreciated about being a thief. She often noticed the adventurer and warrior women kept theirs relatively short, less for an attacker to grab, But vanity was one of the small luxuries afforded to her kind. The hoods they normally wore to hide their faces kept her hair hidden, not only to assist in her anonymity but also served to keep the easy handle away from would-be-captors.

Rune glanced at her, doing his best to not stare at her. "Either way, let's just try to avoid trouble, shall we?" Aly grinned, looking at her companion. She was so sure of herself that her confidence began to bolster Rune and he put his misgivings to the back of his mind. They turned their feet northward and began their journey.

ASASAS

Aly shivered, rubbing her hands along her arms as they came through the final pass between them and their destination. It was early morning, with only Masser in the sky to light their way while the sun slowly began to light the horizon. Aly glanced over at her companion, glad to see that he was shivering just as hard as she was and taking a small, sick pleasure in that fact. They both began to descend the hill towards the dark, frigid river that provided Windhelm with added security. Aly could hear the whooshing of the water as it rushed towards the sea and shuddered as the thought of swift currents that ran below the surface, currents that would eagerly suck her out to a deep, watery grave.

Keeping her feet firmly on the road and away from the slippery rocks on the river's edge, Aly and Rune took the right-hand path, crossing a large stone bridge. She could smell the horses of Windhelm's stable, known for their hardy bay chestnuts, and smiled. Aly loved watching the horses around Riften. There were times that Hofgrir was even toleratant of her presence around the beautiful dappled creatures and subsequently his stables.

She glanced to their right, across the dark river, and drew in her breath as she looked at the ancient city of Windhelm. The moonlight hit the grey stone, turning the city into a wash of silver against the snowy mountain that the Nord city had been built into. A beautiful sight, one that she hoped portended great fortune for her. Turning to Rune with a smile, she laughed. "C'mon, let's go get rich."

"Is Windhelm really the city for that?" Rune grumbled to himself as he watched Aly jog off towards the long stone bridge to the city gate. "Couldn't we at least have gone to Solitude? It's warmer there. Less cold ocean currents bringing in the snow and ice."

"Come on, I'm the Altmer here, I should be the one complaining about the weather. It's only cold and colder up here in Skyrim." Aly said with a chuckle. Still, she slowed, waiting for Rune to catch up. The pair made their way towards the large double doors that were the main gate into Windhelm. Aly could feel the hate-filled glares of the Stormcloak soldiers as they patrolled the battlements along the bridge. A bit unnerved, she shrugged them off and pushed her way into the city.

High walls of cold, grey stone greeted her as her first sight of Ysmir's city. She looked up, following the towers of the Palace of Kings as they reached into the sky. "Did they make that thing big enough?" Aly leaned over and asked and equally enthralled Rune.

"Best not to question their taste in architecture." Rune said glancing around at the scowling guards. "C'mon." He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the inn. Conveniently placed in the center of the main square stood a large building that housed any number of travelers on a given day; as long as they weren't Dunmer, Argonian, Kahjit, or Altmer. Aly grinned to herself as she and Rune entered Candlehearth Hall. This was a good place to test her skills, and to prove herself to Brynjolf and Nareed that she was a capable thief in her own right.

The thought of Nareed soured her mood and she scowled at the floor. With rising anger, she found herself wondering about the Dragonborn's woman. What right did some caravanning, shop-keep, ice-brained Nord woman have to _her_ Guildmaster? Aly gritted her teeth and balled her fists in barely contained rage. _It's not fair._ Aly screamed internally as Rune paid for their room.

 _Why wasn't I good enough?_ Came the pitiful afterthought. Aly quickly pushed that sickening feeling aside. If there was one thing her mentors in the Thieves Guild had taught her, it was to always know her self-worth. Still, it didn't explain why Nareed had never showed more than a fatherly or brotherly interest in her.

With an angry growl, she pushed aside her self-deprecating thoughts and grabbed her pack up off of the dusty floor to follow Rune. It was as if he could feel the heat of her anger on his back because as they reached their room Rune quickly stepped aside and allowed Aly to stomp over towards the bed. Huffing angrily, she slammed her pack on the creaking mattress. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out a pouch of gold. "I'm going shopping." Aly said, without looking back at her guild brother. Rune grunted, not quite sure what had pissed her off and less eager to find out if it was something he had done or said. As Aly brushed past him, pulling her hood over her head as she went, she noticed the pained look he held in his eyes as he quickly averted his gaze. For the briefest moment, she almost turned around to comfort him. It was an instinct born of growing up with the guild, the only family she'd ever really known.

Quashing any sentimentality, she stormed out. It would be best for both of them for her to vent out her anger. Once outside, she pulled her hood farther over her eyes and carefully navigated the icy stone down towards the market. Following the sound of voices, laughter, and the ringing of the blacksmith, she found the early morning market full to the bursting. With a devilish grin, she threw herself into the warm press of bodies.

Pickpocketing had become almost second nature to her. Her roving hands found their way into this noble's pocket or that woman's bag just as easily as they fastened the buckles on well-worn armor. Nothing moved save the jewels, gold, and jewelry that she lifted. Nothing to tip off her victims was left. Placing her ill-gotten spoils in her hidden pockets in the armor required just as much skill as it did to take them. Tiny pockets that only the most trained individuals could find laced the seams of her armor and were made to hide the incriminating lumps of loot.

She noticed that among the crowd, a few of the people were looking around with angry glares. Some of them had discovered missing treasures. Aly smirked, it served them right for walking about with so much wealth on their person. She moved to a produce stand and was chatting up the merchant at the stall about the freshness of his cabbages when it finally happened.

"Thieving elf!" A burly nord noble growled as he spun her around wildly. She stared up at him with wide, golden eyes as he began to grab at her armor. Aly shrieked for the guards to help her, and though they were slow to respond, eventually they had to come over to see the source of all the commotion. Thankfully, the nord was too busy trying to find the ring he kept growling about and fighting to keep her still against the cabbage stand as she tried to wriggle away from his grasp.

"Guards! Please sirs! Help me. This man is mad!" Aly cried. She used the nord's surprise to slip under his arm and place herself behind one of the Stormcloaks. The noble growled at her and, in truly Nordic fashion, almost completely ignored the guards and made to grab at her again. The guards tensed and grabbed their weapons, all the while Aly shivered behind them.

"Hold, Torbjorn." One of the guards growled. "We'll get this sorted out, but you don't want to go making more trouble for yerself."

The man's face turned even redder in his offense. "How dare you! This elf has stolen something of mine and you dare to accuse me of causing this?" Torbjorn was nearly frothing at the mouth as he glared at her. "Arrest her at once." He declared to the guards. The three Stormcloaks glanced amongst themselves before turning to her.

"You're being accused of theft, elf. I suggest you come with us." The guard said. Aly felt the first pang of nervousness. Now was the time to lay on the charm.

"But sirs, I am simply looking at cabbages. I have nothing on me!" Aly said, letting tears fill her eyes. Obviously, they were unused to dealing with a crying woman because the two male guards hesitated. "Would it help if you looked through my things? I have only my coin pouch and a few empty pockets." The guardwoman sighed and stepped forward.

"Elf, we're not arresting you, but" she waved her hand at Torbjorn when he made to object. "We would like for you to come to the Palace where we can search your person thoroughly." The lady Stormcloak sighed when Aly's eyes filled up with tears once again.

"Telli!" Aly heard Rune shout as he pushed his way through the crowd. Silently cursing him for his help and praising his perfect timing, Aly turned towards him.

"Aldir!" She cried, turning to launch herself into Rune's open arms. "That man is accusing me of theft and he kept g-grabbing at me." Aly watched with wicked delight as Rune's face contorted with anger that he then turned on Torbjorn. He roared as he reached for the nobleman, who's face had paled of all color by this point. The guards stepped in however, saving Torbjorn from what looked to be a horrible beating. Rune snarled as the guards held him back.

"How dare you? You accuse my wife of thievery and then you have the gall to touch her with your filthy hands?" Rune spat at the man's feet. Torbjorn stammered as he tried to wrap his mind around this new turn of events.

"N-No! I didn't … I mean." Poor Torbjorn fumbled with his words. The female Stormcloak however was quick on the uptake.

"You mean to tell me, Torbjorn, that you accused her of thievery and now in the face of her husband, you can't refute the claims she's made against you?" The lady Stormcloak narrowed her eyes at the noble, her voice now thick with venom, while her unoccupied partner moved slightly away with a nervous grimace.

"But I didn't …. I was just looking for my ring, which she stole." Torbjorn scowled at her, as if he expected Aly to rescind her charges. She simply whimpered and hid behind Rune, trying desperately to keep herself from smiling.

"Sirs," The produce peddler finally spoke up, causing six surprised heads to turn his way. "I can't vouch for much, but the lady was speaking to me about my cabbages for nearly a quarter hour before Lord Shatter-shield came and accosted her about his ring." The old man wrung his hands slightly as he glanced up nervously. "While they were here, I saw him put his hands on her."

The guardswoman turned back to Torbjorn. "You know what will happen if you pursue your claims against her, Torbjorn." She practically growled. "Do you want more of a spectacle than you have already caused?" The noble stared in surprise at the guard and then scowled at Aly before shaking his head and turning away. Rune growled and pressed against the guard holding him back.

"You're letting him go?" He asked incredulously. The woman guard spun on him next.

"Yes. He's dropped his claims, and for the sake of your woman, I suggest you finish your business here in Windhelm and leave." Aly looked up and was surprised to find all three guards looking at her in disdain. _Well, I am an Altmer. I suppose their altruism only extended so far._

"But,"

"Windhelm is not a safe place for her kind." One of the male guards said flatly. "Niranye is barely tolerated by our people and that is because she provides a service. She still receives trouble every other day." Aly's ears perked up at the name and smiled inwardly. She'd nearly forgotten about the older she-elf that operated as the guild's fence here in Ysmir's city. She'd have to make a quick stop to unload her spoils before long.

"Aldir." Aly whispered to Rune. He turned and looked at her, letting his face soften. "Let's just go back to our room." She said, hanging her head. Rune nodded, and after a quick word of thanks to the guards, bustled her back to Candlehearth Hall. Aly was happy to be out of the cold as the warmth of the ever-burning fire reached her slightly numb cheeks.

"Telli." Rune said, holding her hand and keeping her from moving farther into the tavern. "Go to our room. I'll get us some food and mead." Aly was surprised, but the look on Rune's face said that he would brook no argument. She fought the urge to shrug him off and nodded once before making her way to the room that they shared. Closing the door behind her, she settled onto the bed and sighed.

The rush of larceny, her ever-reliable drug, began to fade as she felt the security of their room. It might have been a thin veneer of safety compared to the Guild in Riften, but it was enough that she felt secure in taking out and counting her ill-gotten gain. She was examining Torbjorn's ring on her finger as Rune walked in with a plate of apples, eidar cheese, and bread in one hand and two mugs of mead in the other. He smirked when he saw the ring. "I suppose that is the bauble that got you into trouble?"

Aly looked up at him with a Cheshire grin. "Such a pretty thing. And too dainty by far to fit his hand. I wonder what lady he planned to give this to?" She slipped the ring off and back into one of her hidden pockets in her armor. The rest of her take laid out on the bed, two silver and jeweled necklaces, 126 spetims, a gold and emerald ring, and a key. Rune noticed the last piece and quirked an eyebrow in her direction. Aly snickered and held up the key. "Lord Shatter-shield's hands were far too grabby for my taste. I propose we teach him a further lesson tonight."

"Aly, you're being reckless." Rune cautioned. "The guards are already alerted to our presence. They'll be watching closely." He placed the food and drink on the table next to the bed and sat down next to her. "If you don't want to go back to Riften that's fine, but can we at least move on to Solitude or something?" Aly shook her head and Rune sighed. He knew her well enough to know that any other words or supplications would fall on deaf ears. For she had caught a whiff of the wealth that this city had to offer her and until her need was sated, she would not leave.

"You don't need to help me Rune." Aly said after a moment of silence. "I appreciate what you did today. It really helped to drive my ploy home with the guards, but I don't want to see you get too caught up in my troubles. Especially on someone else's order." She looked over at him and smiled kindly.

Rune shook his head. "Brynjolf didn't send me." He said suddenly, his voice low. Aly glanced up in surprise. "I had overheard him saying that you had left to go on your own for a bit and decided I wanted to go with you."

"Then why did you say that Bryn sent you?" Aly asked, her eyes narrowed.

"It got you to reveal yourself, didn't it?" Rune said with a chuckle. Aly punched his arm and scowled at him, though there was no animosity behind it. She may have been gone from the guild for nearly a week, but obviously their love went with her in the form of Rune. "I came because your troubles are my troubles, sister." Rune ruffled her hair slightly and smiled. "You needed me." He held up his hand when Aly scowled and made to launch a scathing retort. "Not for help on a job, but to remind you that through the pain, the family sticks together." Rune hung his head slightly. "That's something we forgot when Mercer was in charge. And it's something I'm glad we've since remembered."

He didn't have to say it, but Aly could feel the unspoken words hanging over their heads. _Nareed was the best thing to ever happen to this Guild._ To which, she silently agreed, though she'd joined shortly after his formal promotion to Guildmaster. Aly wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence that hung between them. She hated the fact that Nareed's departure had affected her this much. Nothing had ever been said between the two of them. It was a silly girl's crush that had her hanging from the older man's every word. She was thirteen when she met the Guildmaster for the first time, and she had been in awe ever since.

The large redguard man carried himself with silent confidence and could sneak up on any of the members easily; usually simply walking up to them, calm as you please, to catch them at some mischief. Where Bryn had taught her how to pick pockets and have an eye for hidden wealth on a person, Nareed had taught her how to survive. Though the Guildmaster wasn't as involved in the shaping of her skills as Delvin, Vex, and Niruin, he made sure that if she were ever caught on her own, she could defend herself with or without a weapon.

"Here." Rune said, snapping Aly out of her thoughts. She looked over to see him offering her an apple. With a smile, she took the offered fruit and bit into the bright green skin. The tart juice was refreshing and woke the rest of her appetite. Turning on the plate, Aly descended like a famished dragon, tearing into the food with gusto. Rune watched with a smirk on his face as he tore off a piece of bread and settled into dinner with her.

Over their food, Aly worked out the finer points of her plan with Rune. They'd wait till the wee hours of the next morning before making their way out to the rich part of town. "Valunstrad is the oldest part of Windhelm, save for the Palace of Kings." Rune said, flashing Aly a warning glance. "The richest and most influential people in this city live there, so it'll be crawling with guards."

Aly smirked, properly challenged. "So we stick to the shadows. We'll take our time getting there, it shouldn't be too hard to avoid people inside the house." She bit into another apple and stared absently at the wall across from her for a moment. "I'm sure that they'll keep most of their valuables in their bedroom." She mused mostly to herself. One thing that she prided herself on was the ability to read a person. With only a few minutes of interaction, she could tell their occupation, their home-life, some of their past, and most importantly, where they stashed their wealth. Even Delvin, a seasoned veteran, begrudgingly acknowledged her eye for detail rivaled even his.

Together, she and Rune planned and joked into the afternoon, building up each other's excitement and confidence. Eventually, they found themselves out amongst the other patrons, enjoying the music of the bard and the fine conversation that was brought to them by drunkards and fools. As the night wore on, Aly found herself more and more eager to be on their way and soon she had excused herself to retire to her and her 'husband's' room to prepare.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two shadows stole into the night, the darkness clinging to their bodies like a sheer fabric. With quick and quiet steps, the pair made their way through the empty market. There were no soldiers patrolling the area, which put Aly on higher alert. _If they're not here, then that means there are more of them somewhere else_ she surmised, glancing back at Rune as he followed close behind. He nodded at her, reassuring her that he had come to much the same conclusion.

Not one to be easily dissuaded by a challenge, Alyswen pressed on, moving from the market place into the yard of the dead. She shivered as they passed a few of the concrete slabs laid as monuments for the dead bodies below. _Get it together._ She scowled, forcibly keeping her shoulders from shuddering. _They're plain, run-of-the-mill corpses._ The thought didn't help.

Thankfully, the yard was rather small and they walked into Valunstrad rather quickly. They pressed themselves into the shadows in the small archway as they looked up with wonder at the enormous houses on either side. Aly slipped the key into her hand and pointed at one of the houses. Above the door hung the symbol of the Shatter-Shields, becoming her like a moth to flame. One of the things that any self-respecting thief learned early on was to recognize the crests of the most influential families and familiarize themselves with any relevant information like family dynamics, politics, and more importantly, who owed who and who owned what.

From what they had heard earlier that evening from other patrons, Torbjorn Shatter-Shield used to be a bold and proud Nord. A credit to his fellow countrymen and a shining example of the race. However, alcohol loosens many lips and Aly was treated to a deeper understanding of the man. He paid his Argonian workers a small pittance compared to any other Nord worker, and despite a recent boom in his shipping business, their wages remained the same. Torbjorn had also been known to come to the tavern to drown himself in mead and had even been asking around for an Amulet of Arkay for the past few days. _An amulet huh? I wonder who he was grieving for? No one seemed eager to speak of it._

Aly moved closer to the target house after waiting for the guard at the end of the street to turn the corner and continue up to the palace. Seizing the opportunity, the pair scurried along the wall and up the few steps to the Shatter-Shield estate. Trusting Rune to have her back, Aly quickly unlocked the door and peeked inside. The coast was clear and she shuffled in through the door, stepping aside so Rune could follow.

The kitchen to which they entered was not empty however. Torbjorn himself sat at a dining table, head rested in his arms and surrounded by emptied mead bottles. Aly sneered as they crept past the Shatter-Shield patriarch. While she could feel Rune tensing behind her nervously, all Aly saw was an old man, drunk off his arse and worthy of little respect.

A quick glance to the right revealed the stairs leading up to the second story. With a devilish grin, Aly lead the way. _Torbjorn. Confident, proud, and respected. He is a man of wealth. But he knows that he is_ only _a man of wealth, so he will keep his riches near, even in sleep. He walks by day with so much of his wealth on him, his riches will be kept in a place near his side of the bed. Easily defended from the ghosts his paranoia will have created._ She waited at the top step, looking, listening. Torbjorn was married, Aly had seen the ring of matrimony on his hand when he had frisked her in the market place, so it stood to reason that there would be a wife and possibly children to watch out for as well.

Thankfully, all remained quiet. Aly glanced over her shoulder and motioned for Rune to hold his position and listen for any movement downstairs. Trusting that he had her back, Aly pressed ahead, spotting what looked like a bed through an open door. Grinning to herself, she tiptoed closer and closer, all the while imagining the look on Torbjorn's face when he realized that someone had robbed him blind.

"Friga…" A whispered sob from the bedroom ahead caused Aly to freeze. She scowled. If someone was awake in there, it might be best to turn around and leave. But Aly was clever and quick, she was sure she could get in and get out unheard and unseen. After all, wasn't she here to prove herself? Shaking off her nerves, she crept closer to the door, ignoring Rune's silent screaming. _Just wait till Nareed hears about this._

Inside, the soft sobbing continued. _Maybe Torbjorn and the missus had a fight?_ Aly wondered with a quiet snigger. She pressed her face up to the door, peeking inside and gauging how easily she'd be able to open it the rest of the way. Inside, she saw an older woman curled up on the bed. In her hands she clutched a dress, holding it close to her chest. "Friga. Friga. Friga. I miss you, my baby."

Aly felt the first twinge of guilt. _They lost a daughter?_ She shook her head and pressed on. Many people had lost loved ones. If she turned away every time she ran into a grieving family, she'd never make it in this line of work. Aly gatherer herself and shot a quick, cocky grin over her shoulders at Rune. He was glaring daggers at her even as she slowly eased into the bedroom.

All of the drawers had been thrown open already, surprising Aly as she made her way stealthily across the floor, keeping to the shadowy corners as much as possible. _Were they tearing up the room in the fight or were they looking for something?_ She wondered as she peeked into the first drawer. Inside she found a few articles of clothing and a small bag of gold. Pocketing the gold, Aly glanced again at the sobbing woman. Her shuddering form drew another flash of guilt and pity from Aly. Something was beginning to add up and damn if it didn't make her feel like a skeever.

Aly moved over to a large wardrobe and reached in to find a few beautifully cut gems that had been strewn out from their bag. She scooped them up and pocketed them as well. The woman on the bed moved slightly, though her sobbing did not stop. _Whoops, time to go._ Aly thought, wanting to get out before Nocturnal's good graces ended. She slowly and carefully made her way back across the room. "Friga. Papa lost it. He lost your ring. I'm so sorry, Friga. Friga." Aly felt a shiver crawl up her spine.

 _Well, fuck._ She thought, scowling as she returned to Rune's side. She saw his eyes lit with worry at the thoughtful expression on her face. She could hear his silent questioning even as she quietly made her way back down stairs. On a shelf nearby she noticed some parchment and a quill. After a quick pause, her brilliant idea took hold. Motioning Rune to hold, she crossed the room and grabbed the parchment and quickly scratched out a note.

After checking her handwriting and deeming it passable, she waved Rune to head for the door. He hesitated, watching her warily as he debated on what Aly's next move was going to be. Giving him an exasperated eye-roll, she shooed him on. Once he was near the door, she made her move.

With as much care and silence as she could muster, she crept up to the sleeping Torbjorn. Up close and without rage coloring his face, Aly noticed the lines of worry that were etched into his skin even in sleep. If he woke up now, there'd be nowhere to hide. She quietly placed the note on the table where he'd see it when he woke up. Torbjorn did not move. Relieved, Aly took a quick moment to steady herself. This was unfamiliar territory and the thief inside of her rebelled at the next half of her plan. Still, Aly found her hand reaching into her pocket and pulling out the ring that she had lifted earlier from Torbjorn.

She admired the delicate silver ring for a few more moments before sighing quietly. Torbjorn shuffled a little bit, causing Aly to tense up. She watched Torbjorn closely as he shifted his arms beneath his head and finally went back to snoring. Aly relaxed. _That was close._ She took a steadying breath, letting the mild tremors fade from her hand. Then Aly made her move.

ASASAS

"152, 153, 154." Aly grinned as each gold coin clinked in the palm of her hand. "Not a bad haul, huh?" She turned to Rune who sat on the bed across from her. "154 septims, 3 amethysts, a sapphire, and this…" Aly twirled an elven dagger in her fingers. The golden metal glinted in the candle light, throwing a glow on Aly's pale skin.

"Yeah." Rune grunted. Aly looked up with a quirked eyebrow.

"What's your problem?" she asked, leaning back onto the headboard of her bed. Rune glanced at her, but shook his head and grumbled. Aly rolled her eyes and went back to admiring her new dagger. "Whatever, be that way then." She growled. Rune's attitude had started after they had left the Shatter-Shields. _Well, honestly, he started getting grouchy when we first left the inn._ Aly wondered what she had done to get the normally easy-going man all riled up. Could it have been her decision to leave the Guild for a while? Was he already wanting to go back? _Good,_ Aly thought. _If he wants to go back, then there's one less pain in my arse to deal with._ The mild twinge of disappointment at Rune's possible departure was quickly squashed by the giant heel of her pride.

Aly put her gold and gems inside of her pack and hid it in the secret bottom. She figured that she should have placed the elven dagger inside it as well, but her vanity whispered in her ear just how vicious it would look in her bootstrap. After checking for any signatures or personal touches that might connect it back to Torbjorn, she put it with the rest of her armor.

"I'm going to get a few hours of sleep before going to see Niranye, if you feel like accompanying me." Aly said, her voice flat and toneless. Rune simply grunted again and rolled over on his bed.

"Fine, just wake me up when you get ready to go." His muffled voice grumbled as she rolled over herself. She glanced over to see his back set like a bulwark against her. It hurt her to see her friend like this, but she shrugged it off. _He'll feel better after a nap._

Rune's scowl caused little children to cry as they passed. Aly sheepishly waved at the Nord mothers as they passed but most of them were too busy herding their progeny away to bother glaring at them. They entered the busy market and after a quick sweep to assure herself that Torbjorn was not present, Aly made her way through the stalls. She stopped by to speak with the blacksmith, admiring his work and taking a moment to sharpen her new dagger to a deadly keen weapon befitting a blooming master thief. Rune stood by, his face stuck in his new expression of choice as she chatted with the Stormcloak blacksmith. The old Nord even begrudgingly acknowledged that she had a good eye for trusty blades before they reentered the crowd.

Aly enjoyed stopping at the bustling stalls, making sure to spend a few minutes with her new friend, the cabbage merchant, before she approached the older she-elf. "Hello, Niranye. I'm Telli. I was told that you're the only other Altmer in the city." Aly said with a false cheeriness that even had Rune glancing at her in worry. She turned away from him pointedly as she extended her hand in greeting to the other elf.

"Cut the crap, I know why you're here." Niranye groused, still shaking her hand with a smile despite the venom in her voice. Aly grinned, this was the dance most fences perfected early on. They had to keep a certain appearance to avoid rousing suspicion from the public if they wanted to conduct their business during the day. Niranye was good at what she did; a fact Nareed had mentioned on many occasions when Aly pressed him for stories of his favorite jobs. "What have you got for me?"

Aly's cheshire smile glinted as she quickly reached into her pack for the gems that she had lifted the night before. While holding the bag in her hand, she bent over the stall, pretending to look at the items Niranye had displayed. Most of it was produce and food items, but there were a few interesting weapons and armor pieces laid out as well. Ignoring most of it, Aly passed Niranye the gems. She had already examined them and noted the flawless quality that each of the stones possessed. They weren't the huge haul she had hoped for, but it would earn her a pretty penny nonetheless.

"Ah, some nightly adventure has turned you a profit, has it?" Niranye said with a knowing smirk. "I'm fairly sure I know where this came from and you, my little Telli, are playing a dangerous game." Niranye said as she quickly pocketed the gems. In the same motion, she dropped a small pouch of gold on the stall between them. "Tell me, what brings you to Windhelm?" the older woman asked with a curious expression.

"Personal reasons." Aly replied, picking up an enchanted ring and examining it's interesting blue glow. "And to make a little coin, of course."

"Of course." Niranye said, plucking the ring from Aly's grasp and wagging her finger at the young thief. "You children are all the same. You think you're indestructible, with Nocturnal's eternal favor at your beck and call." Niranye glared at Aly. "But she is a fickle mistress at best; and when she turns against you, the price you'll pay will be the highest."

Aly's surprise was clear, even as Niranye scoffed and pushed the bag of gold closer to the younger elf. _Am I still getting lectured? Even here?_ Aly's ire grew and she growled at the older woman. _No matter where I go or what I do, I'm patronized, told off, and ignored. I'm sick of it!_

"She has a point, Telli." Rune quipped from behind her. Aly shot him a look over her shoulder. His handsome face was full of worry rather than the hard displeasure he had been displaying all morning. "You're over-confident."

"Maybe I'm just that damn good?" Aly sneered.

"Then you'll be in for a rude awakening." Rune snapped. "When there's no one to watch your back when you've gotten in over your head." He turned on his heel and marched back to the inn. Aly watched in stunned silence as her partner walked away from her.

ASASAS

Aly sat at her table, enjoying the sweet, numbing feeling that good mead brought her. The dark elf bard strummed songs full of Stormcloak propaganda that had Aly sighing in exasperation every time a new request was made. She ignored the cold stares she received and continued to drink.

"This seat taken?" Aly looked up to see a young man smiling down at her. She shook her head and waved at him to take the chair. "We don't often see Altmer in Windhelm."

"Ah, the bloody elves are trying to take over the City of Kings! Beware, oooohhh." Aly snarked, taking another swig of mead. "Between the cold weather and the hospitality, no wonder you see so few visitors."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." he said sheepishly. "My kinsman are not the kindest bunch." He offered her his hand. "Maybe I can start to make a better impression, eh? My name's Lygrleid." Aly stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge his sincerity. The alarms stayed mercifully silent, so she clasped his hand with a small smile.

"Telli. Sorry if I seemed rude. It has been a long couple of days." She smiled kindly. Lygrleid nodded sympathetically as he waved at the bar wench for a drink.

"No harm done." he said. The young man chuckled as Aly tossed back the remainder of her mead. "So what brings you to Windhelm?"

She glared at him, but she couldn't help it. When he flinched, she shook her head to get rid of her lingering anger. "Sorry, you're not the first person to ask me that. The question has me frustrated."

"I should have realized. Your presence probably aroused a lot of suspicion." Lygrleid rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I apologize." Aly waved her hand and gave him a genuine smile.

"No harm done." She and Lygrleid shared a small laugh. Aly noticed that the Nord was tall and strong, like many of his fellow countryman, but he lacked that judgmental glower that she'd come to expect. He relaxed into his chair and lifted his mug to her health before taking a large swig. "And to answer your question, my husband had business in Riften with an associate of ours. They had some problems with a supplier here in Windhelm that we came to sort out." Aly smiled kindly before looking a little more closely at the man. "What of you? It's not often a Nord tolerates my presence here in northern Skyrim."

Lygrleid nodded slowly. "I'm a ship hand." he said with a shrug. "I was also born in Solstheim, so I sorely lack many of the prejudices that make a true son of Skyrim." Aly sensed the tense undercurrent and smiled, relaxing further.

"Well, here's one person grateful for that." Aly toasted him before downing her mead. "What route does your ship take?"

"Mostly we run shipment between Windhelm and Solstheim, with the occasional trip to Morrowind proper." he said. "But if you want to hire us for anything, you'll have to speak to the Captain." From there, the pair spoke of many things over their drinks, decidedly ignoring the looks they received from the other customers.

Aly enjoyed Lygrleid's company, finding him an intelligent, if soft-spoken, young man who held a lot of respect for his Captain. Almost the the point of nausea. _Was I like this for Nareed?_ Aly wondered in passing. … _Nah._

"Damned Thalmor bitch." came a drunken slur from behind Aly. She noticed Lygrleid tense even as she turned around. Standing in front of her was, surprise, surprise, a very drunk old Nord. "Go back home and leave Skyrim to the Nords." The man spat at her feet, causing a few of the other people to smirk and chuckle, though Lygrleid stood up with a glare to the older man.

"I was born in Riften." Aly said, waving her new friend back down as she lied smoothly. "Skyrim is as much my home as it is yours." She sniffed derisively and glanced around before muttering just loud enough for the Nord and Lygrleid to hear. "Although, if you want to keep your frigid, troll's nest of a city to yourselves, I suppose I could oblige." Aly heard Lygrleid's sharp intake of breath but she continued to grin up at her antagonist. _This is going to be fun._

Aly noticed the old Nord tense. Grinning ferociously, she ducked the first punch, which sent her drunken attacker spinning. She yelled and stood up quickly, causing her chair to screech across the floor. She moved into the open space, trying to move away from the man and get a better gauge of his movement.

"Rolff, no. Leave her alone." Lygrleid shouted, as the old man regained his footing. When his angry, red eyes locked onto her, Aly knew that she wasn't getting out of this by playing the victim.

"Sit down, you damned traitor." Rolff spat at Lygrleid, pushing him out of the way. "I'll show this Thalmor spy what we do to her kind here." The drunken Nord came at her with balled fists, swinging wide. Aly ducked and moved inside the man's wide open guard, landing three quick blows to his side before stepping away again. Rolff grunted and turned to grab at her, trying to pin her to his chest. Aly ducked and punched his gut.

Rolff doubled over, but he was by no means done. Spurred on by his anger and adrenaline, he launched a hard right hook that caught Aly's cheek. Rolling with the punch to keep her bones from shattering from the Nord's strength, Aly found herself on the defensive. She crossed her arms in front of her face as she blocked the wild blows that Rolff was trying to land on her head.

The shock of each strike chattered her teeth as she bore the attack, watching for an opening. Rolff was strong, as most Nords were, and just as sloppy. Aly could never hope to match a Nord in strength, but she had speed and intelligence. That was all she needed to end it. Aly let Rolff push her back, moving past crowd of patrons who cheered Rolff on. She rolled her eyes and couldn't wait to see their faces when she put this hulking moron on his arse.

Aly's world flipped upside down before she even had a chance to yelp. She cursed Nocturnal's fickle luck as she tripped over a chair, landing hard on her back. She barely had time to register her new position before Rolff leapt over the chair, chasing her. Aly reflexively grabbed his weight with her feet, hitting him in the gut and launching him overhead. She heard the cries of the patrons he had landed on and smirked. _Serves you all right._ Using the time to right herself again, and kicking the trice-damned chair away, she prepared for Rolff's retalliation.

The old man glared at her from his throne of bodies as everyone tried to extricate themselves from the pile. Aly smiled and waited for the man to return to his feet. She knew Nords respected the honorable and attacking a man while he was down was not something she felt they would appreciate, never mind the fact that Rolff had just done the same to her. When Rolff came back at her, she could sense his fatigue beginning to show. He was old and his stamina obviously wasn't what it once was.

Aly's wolfish grin spread over her face as she grabbed the charging Rolff by the front of his shirt. His surprised expression was priceless and Aly gleefully soaked it in as the large Nord man found himself sailing over her head. He hit the floor hard, driving the breath from his lungs. _Hah. Nareed would be so proud of that last move._

Rolff lay on the floor, coughing and hacking as he struggled to his knee. Aly could hear him saying something between each gasp, but she needed everyone else to hear it. They would not respect her unless he said it. "What did you say, Rolff?" She leaned back on her hip and crossed her arms.

"I said, I yield, I yield." Rolff coughed, struggling for breath. Aly smiled and offered the older man her hand to help him to his feet. He took one look at her and growled, batting her hand aside.

Rolff stumbled to his feet and made his way towards a table in the back. Aly sighed and motioned at the barmaid to send Rolff a drink. There was a murmur through the crowd that Aly felt signaled their approval. _Good. At least I can get some people to respect me._ Aly returned to her table to find not only Lygrleid sitting there, but Rune as well. The thief glared at her, shaking his head as she laughed and pulled up another chair.

"Hello, dear husband. I'm guessing that you're still mad at me?" Aly joked. Rune pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, releasing some of his tension as Aly giggled.

"I'm guessing that a brawl is just what you needed then, dear wife? To relieve your stress?" Rune retorted. Aly sniggered at his exasperated expression. _He certainly puts up with a lot more than most from me._

"Just what the healer suggested." Aly stretched her arms high over her head. "Maybe now you ice-brains will leave me alone?" She chuckled as she ribbed Lygrleid. The sailor grinned and shook his head.

"I, for one, won't be brawling you anytime soon." He laughed. "You're as slippery as a slaughterfish. And twice as mean."

"That's an understatement." Rune muttered into his ale. "Oof." Aly punched him lightly in the gut.

"Still, standing up to Rolff isn't something most of the elves and argonians do nowadays." Lygrleid remarked, glancing over his shoulder. "With the war escalating and the Dragonborn refusing to take a side, many of the Nords are getting anxious. Racial tension is high and many of them are becoming a bit rabid. Rolff is one of the worst when it comes to attacking Dunmer and Argonians here in Windhelm. A lot of them simply slink away, it isn't worth the trouble for them to do something about him."

Aly nodded. It was only natural that the cold war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks could only last so long. Eventually Ulfric or Tullius would make a move and then, well, all bets were off. "And I suppose that the guards barely even bat an eye at him anyway." Lygrleid nodded slowly. "Yeah, I got a taste of that yesterday." Aly groused as she gulped down the last of her drink.

"Well, my friend." She smiled at Lygrleid. "My husband and I are going to retire for the night, but I hope to see you again before we have to take our leave of Windhelm?" The young sailor grinned and shook her hand happily. He then turned and shook Rune's hand before wandering off to speak with the barmaid.

Aly and Rune left the tavern proper and made their way to their room. While they descended the stairs, Aly noted Rune's worried expression. _He's certainly going through the gamut today._ She thought to herself as they entered their little hideaway at the end of the hall. It was interesting to see Rune going through so many emotions so quickly. _Honestly, it is a little worrisome._ Aly conceded as Rune closed the door behind them.

When he finally turned around, he yelped in fright. Aly's face was right there, peering at him with concern from bright, golden eyes. "What?" was all he said. She narrowed her gaze more and continued to scrutinize him. "Alyswen, what in Oblivion are you doing?"

"Something's wrong." she said. Rune's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly, his booming laughter filled the room.

"What was your first clue?" Rune asked with a chuckle as he pushed past his partner to sit on his bed. Aly stuck out her tongue at him before going to sit across from Rune.

"Oh _ha ha._ " Aly grinned. After a moment to let the brevity relax them, she turned to him with a serious gaze. "Look, if you want to go back to the Guild, I'm not stopping you."

"What?" Rune exclaimed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Aly cut him off.

"I appreciate that you came with me all the way to Windhelm. I may have needed the company more than I wanted to admit." Aly glanced away, not used to letting herself be this vulnerable. "But I'm not going to keep you here if working with me is upsetting you."

"Aly…"

"I noticed that you were reluctant to even come to Windhelm to begin with."

"Aly …"

"This is all about me trying to get Nareed and Brynjolf to respect me. I don't need to drag you down with me while I'm …"

"ALYSWEN!" Rune shouted, causing Aly to jump. Surprised, she fell off the edge of her bed, nailing her head on the bedside table as she went.

"What?" Aly sat up, glaring at Rune as she rubbed her head.

"I'm not going anywhere." Rune said with a grin. Her confused expression brought another round of laughter. Eventually, she got up off the floor and sat on her bed, pouting as she waited for him to finish. "I-I'm sorry." He laughed, wiping away a tear. "I'm not laughing at you."

"Liar."

"Ok, maybe a little." Rune snorted. "But, I'm serious. I'm not going anywhere." Aly looked at him hard, trying to understand.

"Then why have you had such a rotten attitude all day?" Though her words were not the kindest, her tone was gentle. Rune sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again.

"Because you are reckless." Rune said. Aly bit back her anger, determined to at least hear him out. "You are reckless and vain and one day, it is going to catch up to you." Rune's expressive brown eyes locked onto hers. She was surprised to see not frustration, but a deep sadness reflected there. "And that thought terrifies me."

"Rune, I …" Rune held up a hand to silence her.

"I can never hope to change who you are. Nor do I want to. But Aly, there is a difference between skill and boastfulness." Rune continued. "You didn't need to break into Torbjorn's estate to garner respect. You did it because your pride wouldn't have anything less. You didn't need to run away to embark on a solo crime spree across Skyrim either. And you certainly won't earn Nareed's love by being the best thief in all of Tamriel. He doesn't care about that and you'll be stopped only when you're captured and locked away, or worse beheaded, for all of your crimes."

His last words stung. Aly glared at Rune but even she had to admit the truth behind his statement. Despite that, she couldn't help but hide away the hope secretly in her heart that her beloved Guildmaster would come to his senses sooner or later. _But Rune doesn't have to suffer for my pride._ Aly thought with a sigh. "Fair enough." Aly said quietly. She inhaled deeply and let the worst of her anger go. _I will still work to earn their respect, but maybe getting us thrown in jail isn't going to help anything. Like Delvin always says: 'Smarter, not harder.' Right?_ "So what are we going to do next, partner?" Aly smiled at her friend.

Rune's grin lit up. "I hear Solitude is nice this time of year."

Author's Note:

Yay! You made it to the end of Chapter 2. Here, have a cookie! Everyone have a cookie? Good.

So it looks like I'm going to post new chapters on Tuesdays. I'm trying this newfangled thing called 'accountability' and hopefully you all will keep me inspired with lots of love. As for any quality and grammar issues, please excuse them as this is my first _posted fanfiction!_ … somebody pinch me… Hopefully, I'll be able to nab me a shiny Betareader to see if I can get some help improving the overall quality of my writing. But for now; new chapters. Tuesdays. There ya go. Next, we'll see some of Windhelm's sordid secrets come to light and Aly's new enemy will make her a promise.

Everyone enjoy your cookies! Lotsa love, from me, CordovanLily!


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Ack, I'm sorry! I know I'm a few days late with the chapter. Between Christmas gift making, car buying adventures, life emergencies, and general shenaniganary, things just kinda got away from me for a few days. But, I've wrestled the beast back into submission and am staying up all night tonight to work on Chapter 4.

I'll see you at the end of the chapter, so without further ado …

Chapter 3

 _Keep your eyes here." Nareed motioned to the center of his body. "You'll see any move they want to make with their feet and you'll see their next move in their eyes." He stepped forward with his right foot and flung a weak fireball her way. Aly yelped and dodged aside, trying to keep her eyes on her opponent even as she rolled across the floor. "Mages have tells. Thieves have tells. Adventurers, assassins, warriors, soldiers, mercenaries, sailors all will give themselves away to you if you learn what to look for." With each example, Nareed made subtle motions with his feet and cut through the air with imaginary weapons. If she watched closely, she could see Nareed's gaze moving slightly ahead of his invisible weapon, as if focusing on a moving target and planning each attack accordingly._

 _Aly watched with wonder as her Guildmaster showed her the many roles he could play. Nareed's dark skin stretched with every movement and captivated her. She'd never seen anyone like him. Or at least she couldn't remember it if she had. Aly quickly shook her head to clear away the thought and focused on Nareed. He was grinning at her, an expression that told her immediately that she'd made a mistake._

 _You didn't watch my feet." he said. Suddenly, he lunged forward and grabbed her. She yanked herself back, but Nareed was too nimble. He used his foot to hook her ankle and send her falling. She hit the ground hard and her breath fled from her lungs. A weight pressed down on her. Aly opened her eyes and saw Nareed holding an imaginary dagger to her neck. He sat on her chest, knees holding her arms down, and Aly knew that she had no hope of forcing him off._

 _She stared up into his impossibly dark eyes. In passing, she wondered if he could feel her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. Nareed smiled down at her and chuckled. "You need to learn focus." He gentle pushed himself off of Aly, offering her his hand as he stood. She grasped his hand, feeling the scars running along his course palm. These were the hands of a warrior. Aly looked up at him with wide golden eyes. "Delvin says you're a good sneak-thief but that won't save you if you get caught in a corner. You need to be able to fight too." Nareed said. He moved back to his position and grinned at Aly. "Shall we go again?"_

Aly woke up with a smile, gently basking in the memory of her dream even as it began to fade. She sat up from her lumpy bed and stretched, trying to work out the stiffness from her limbs. It was a brand new day, promising her plunder and profit. With her reconciliation with Rune, Aly was eager to terrorize Windhelm before they headed on. She glanced over at her still snoring partner and smiled fondly. They had stayed up late into the night discussing their path of larceny the way proper partners should.

 _The East Empire Trading Company is scheduled to get a large shipment in the coming weeks. Something about an important wedding in Solitude, if I remember what Delvin said correctly." Rune said, pointing at the map laid out on his bed. Aly, who sat opposite him, nodded and pointed to Markarth._

 _Then there is plenty of silver to be had in The Reach." She said, salivating at the thought. Her eagerness abated as she saw Rune shake his head._

 _The Silver-bloods are too protective of their wealth. Better to see if we can hit a few of the mining towns outside the city proper." Rune pointed to a small hamlet just south of the city. "It's rather prosperous for being a mining village. Plus, they have strong ties to the Temple of Dibella, which means a lot of shiny, pretty things."_

 _I like shiny things." Aly said with a vicious grin. "Then, onwards to Falkreath?"_

 _Yeah. We can hit the mills between the two cities as well. Then work our way back to Riften." Rune kept his gaze fixed on the map, but Aly could feel his worry that she would raise a fuss at the thought of returning so soon._

 _Taking a deep breath, she smiled. Rune glanced up at her and she heard his breath hitch. "Yeah, and we'll rub all of our success and infamy in Niruin's face. Maybe offer him a loan to start up that brothel he always going on about?" Her mischievous grin was infectious and she relaxed as she saw him smiling with her. Aly leaned back against Rune's headboard. "So how long are you thinking we should stay in Windhelm?"_

 _Rune glanced at her, his eyebrow quirked. Aly chuckled but waited for him to respond. "A week, at most." Rune said as he tapped his finger on Solitude. "Any longer and we run the risk of missing the Solitude shipment."_

 _I thought you said I didn't need to go on a crime spree across Skyrim?" Aly chuckled. Rune looked up at her with a glint in his eye. "And yet here we are charting a course across the whole country."_

 _You don't." he said. His expressive brown eyes shone with excitement. "But it'll be fun." Rune smiled up at her kindly. "I know you're not quite ready to go back yet. And I can respect that. So long as I don't have to constantly worry about you getting thrown in jail." Aly nodded. Rune had always been perceptive and attentive to her, especially in the early days of her life with the Guild, a fact for which she was grateful. She smiled at her friend and nodded._

 _A week then."_

Rune shifted in his sleep, causing Aly to jump. She watched as the sleeping thief mumbled something about sweet rolls and skeevers and fell back into whatever strange dream he was having. Shaking her head, she got out of bed, grabbing her boots and quickly putting them on to protect her feet from the northern chill. There was nowhere in Skyrim that she considered warm, but it boggled her mind how anyone could _want_ to live in a stone city frozen up to it's peaks.

She stretched out her spine and worked out all of the difficult kinks before readjusting the buckles on her armor. It had taken a while for Aly to get used to sleeping in the standard issue thieves' armor. When she first tried to take it off for the night, Brynjolf had stopped her. " _Sleep in the armor, lass. It's a good habit to have in case you need to wake up fighting or make a quick escape._ " Aly still rolled her eyes at the memory, but she couldn't deny that it had been good advice. It had saved her skin a few times when some bandits crept into her camp thinking she was an easy target while on the road.

Aly grabbed the door handle and turned to make her way into the tavern for breakfast when something glinted in the half light and caught her attention. A knife was lodged in the door, pinning a note to the wood. Aly stared at it for a moment, feeling at a loss for words. Her throat clenched as she tried to wrap her mind around what she was seeing until she could hold back no more.

"AH-HAHA!" She clutched her sides as she laughed. Rune stumbled out of bed and groggily hurried through the door.

"Wh-what's going on?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes. Aly, unable to speak through her mirth, simply pointed at the note on the door. Rune's face grimaced and he looked at her with concern. "Someone sticks a dagger in our door and you find it funny?" He asked, quirking his eyebrow slightly. Aly nodded as she fell back into their room for privacy. Her laughter wouldn't abate.

"W-Who even does that?" she shrieked. Aly threw herself on her bed and kicked her feet in the air. "How melodramatic can they be?"

"You're one to talk." Rune muttered. Aly shot him a glare but then she saw the note in his hand and snorted as laughter gripped her once again. Rune sat on his bed and read the note while Aly continued her hysterics. "' _Elf, get out of our city if you know what's good for you._ ' Aly, don't you think you should be a bit more worried about this?" Rune asked, waving the note at her.

"Rune," Aly wiped away a tear as she sat up and smiled at her friend. "There's nothing that they could do to me that hasn't already been done." She grinned at him, ignoring his worried expression. "Some racist Nords won't scare me. I know what true monsters look like." Aly reached for the dagger and smiled as she noticed something familiar. She pocketed the blade and winked at Rune. "I'm hungry, aren't you?"

"Aly …" Rune said, standing up and following her. "What are you doing?"

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "I'm getting breakfast, of course." Aly made her way upstairs, closely followed by a nervous Rune. She walked into the large public area, took one look at the man sitting at a table in the back corner, and smiled.

Quick as a flash, she grabbed the dagger from her belt and with a powerful flick of her wrist, she sent the blade flying. It struck home in the wood of the table, right next to Rolff's tankard. He sprung up with a yelp. "Rotten She-elf!" He shouted at her. Aly simply smiled and shrugged.

"I'm just returning your dagger, Rolff. It found its way into our bedroom door last night." Aly nodded at him. Rolff sat down with a grumble and wrestled the blade from the wood. Aly and Rune took a table on the other side of the tavern and ordered some cheese, bread, and apples for breakfast.

"How'd you know it was his?" Rune asked, glancing over at Rolff surreptitiously. The grumpy man had made no denials of owning the dagger. Aly shrugged.

"I noticed it on his belt last night." She took a sip of the mead that had been brought to them. "He's just a grumpy old Nord upset that a tiny Altmer woman put him on his arse last night." Aly glanced at Rune and smiled. "It's nice to know that people love me oh so much here."

Rune shook his head and sighed. "I don't suppose you want to leave today, do you?" He asked through a mouthful of bread. Aly chuckled and shook her head. "I didn't think so. So what are we going to do about this?"

"Nothing." Aly said. She turned to glance at the room. "We go about our business and if it is a little more dangerous than simple racism from a powerless old man, then we'll deal with it. Deal?" Rune nodded and their breakfast continued. The light conversation they made helped to relax Rune slightly and Aly felt relieved. _It's so easy to rile him up._ she thought to herself, watching him carefully while trying to not set his warning bells off. _If only he knew just how fragile everything really is._

Aly glanced out the window at the drab sky and felt a twinge crawl up her spine. It wasn't often her mind wandered down that dark corridor, but like every other time, she yanked herself back into the light and put on her best smile. It was time that made it so easy to put on the mask and parade around the way she did. It was time that made it so easy to pretend that the sharp edge of fear wasn't always at the back of her mind. And everyone was fooled.

ASASAS

They stepped out of the tavern into a mess. People were rushing towards the graveyard, filing through the small entrance. Aly and Rune exchanged a look before following the crowd. Normally, crowds would mean plenty of pockets to pick, but the air of distress that the people had as they rushed by meant that the group would not only be on a high alert, they would also be quick to panic or lash out. Despite this, Aly was naturally curious and wanted to know what had this hive of racist hornets buzzing about.

As they rounded the corner, Aly almost flung herself backwards. _Death. Fresh death._ She could smell it in the air. The cloying smell of the viscera coated the back of her throat, causing her to wretch. Aly stumbled back into the main courtyard, leaving Rune to discover what had happened.

She leaned against the stone wall, sliding down until she sat on the ground. The screams of the past echoed in her mind, drawing her deeper into her terror. _No. Not here. They're not here. They can't be here._ It took a while for her heart to stop hammering. She sat against the wall and let herself come back from her panicked frenzied thoughts. _What could have done that?_ She hadn't seen more than that the victim had once been a woman. Her body parts had been torn apart and strewn all over the gravesite. The snow that had fallen sometime in the night was saturated with the poor victim's blood. Aly stared up at the sky and watched the lazy grey clouds slowly pass by. _It wasn't them._ She finally decided. _If it had been, there would be less blood._

"Aly?" Rune came back around the corner. His face pale as he approached her. Aly, recognizing that expression, patted the ground next to her and smiled weakly as Rune took a seat beside her. "It was Suzanna, the serving girl from last night." He said after a long pause. "It happened as she left the tavern."

"Do they know what happened?" Aly asked, her voice unusually quiet. Rune shook his head and sighed.

"No, and that is the worst part." Rune glanced at her, terror in his face. "It's a serial killer." Aly stared at him slack jawed.

"Here? In Windhelm? Shouldn't the Stormcloaks be looking into this?" Aly asked incredulously. She could hardly believe that Ulfric would let such a threat fester in his city, right in his seat of power.

"They're stretched too thin with the war effort to be bothered to look into it apparently." Rune growled. "This is the fourth girl to end up this way. They're all torn apart like that from what I understand." He looked at Aly, his brown eyes full of concern. "I don't like this."

Aly nodded. She wasn't too keen on hanging around either. Especially if there were going to be more bodies strewn about like that. She didn't think her already fragile sanity could take walking into another scene like that one. _Nareed wouldn't run away from this._ Her mind tried to remind her. She grabbed the voice and shoved it back in her mind. Aly wasn't a Dragonborn. She didn't have the ability to go chasing after any and every evil-doer that crossed her path. It was a good way to get nice and dead.

"Friga Shatter-Shield was one of the first victims." Rune said, his voice low. Aly's whole body tensed and she shuddered. Events around her were becoming far too entangled in one another for her taste and she found herself wanting to leave Windhelm, despite her noticeable lack of pilfered property. Foregoing the gems and coin that her heart had been set on leaving with, she made the call. "I say we leave Windhelm tomorrow." Rune said, echoing her thoughts. "Soon enough to get clear of this mess but not hasty enough to arouse suspicion. Murder is bad for business, even if we're not the one's doing the killing." It was one of the earliest lessons taught to a new guild member and Aly found herself nodding in agreement, not trusting herself to speak. "C'mon. Let's go see what's in the market. Take our minds off of everything."

ASASAS

"Could you take this package down to the Sadri's Used Wares? There's a bit of coin in it for you." Niranye held out a small parcel. Aly glared at the older woman but took the package all the same. _I'm a thief, not a street urchin looking to scrounge for coin._ Aly grouched to herself. With a little help from Rune's warning expression, she held her tongue and simply nodded.

Turning on her heel, she marched out of the market with Rune hot on her trail. Aly had heard about the Grey Quarter, though she hadn't hoped to find herself in the city slums. There was no profit to be had here, only depression and any number of illnesses due to the filth in the streets. They walked quickly down the stairs, following Niranye's directions towards the small shop.

"How do we get roped into these things?" Aly asked Rune over her shoulder. He simply grinned and shrugged.

"You mean besides the fact that Niranye would probably throw you to the guards if you crossed her?" Rune suggested, laughing at her ire. The two elf women couldn't seem to mesh and while Aly was all for keeping a professional relationship, Niranye's vinegar and spite kept her nearly too irritated at the older woman to function. Aly didn't feel the need to earn Niranye's respect the way she did Nareed or Brynjolf, but Niranye seemed all too ready to demand hers.

Brushing it off, Aly entered the shop. The run down hovel appeared to need a little less attention than some of the other buildings in the area, but a hovel it was nonetheless. Aly sniffed derisively as they entered the shop. The dusty old room was full of supplies and merchandise that Aly had seen dozens of times before. She glanced around for a few minutes before approaching the Dunmer behind the counter. He looked up and smiled broadly. "Welcome to Sadri's Used Wares. What can I help you with?"

Aly smiled kindly and extended her hand out with the parcel. "Niranye said that this was for you. Something about sharing some of her supplier's contacts and providing you with some of her own surplus." Sadri's red eyes lit up with excitement as he took the parcel and gave Aly a small pouch of gold. She stood there and counted a few coins while Sadri tore into his own gift. He lifted a few pieces of jewelry out of the small box and held them up to a discerning eye. In his hands was a simple yet elegant gold ring that he 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed at even as Aly and Rune took their leave.

"How long do you think till he realizes all of those are hot items from Niranye's fencing?" Rune asked with a mischievous grin. Aly laughed and shrugged.

"Not our problem either way. Niranye's a pretty shrewd fence. On the off chance the Dunmer decides to try and throw the blame on Niranye for the goods in his store, she can deny any part of it. After all, we'll be long gone and the guards will have no one to question as to the delivery of the package." Aly might not have liked the woman much, but she knew talent when she saw it; talent, and pure ruthlessness.

Rune glanced up at the huge doors that lead out to the docks and sighed. "We'll at least we can get ready to move on now. I don't like being in a city with a murderer running amok."

Aly knew that he was waiting for her trademark snarky quips, but she was still shaken by the scene they had witnessed that morning and could only nod in agreement. She had no aversion to blood; it was unavoidable in Skyrim where everything from the people, to the animals, and even some of the plants and weather were trying to kill you. Bandits covered the countryside and haunted the roads between cities, plucking off unwary travelers and growing fat on ill-gotten loot. Aly had made her first kill, a nameless bandit, on the road between Riften and Whiterun. Since then, she'd killed a dozen or so times, each time in defense of her own life.

Rune sensed her reticence and eyed her closely. "Aly?"

"Let's just get out of here." Aly said, making her way back to the tavern.

ASASAS

Aly stood next to the blacksmith's forge while Rune and the weapons master put the final touches on her armor. Upgrading the pieces of her armor was one of the stipulations Rune gave her before they set out. "'Ratty, tattered old thing' my foot. It's just well-loved." She groused, folding her arms and leaning against the stone archway.

As the men went through each latch and buckle on her chest piece, Aly sighed and just lounged as she waited. Eventually the men-folk would be done tinkering and she and Rune could move on. "Good armor won't be enough to protect you from your own wickedness." Aly heard a scratchy voice from behind her. She turned to see Lord Torbjorn Shatter-Shield standing in the street, glaring at her. Aly stood up and faced the man.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Shatter-Shield?" Aly said, doing her best impression of a nasally noblewoman. "What, pray tell, do you mean by that?" Aly crossed her arms and put her weight back onto her hip. She did everything to appear in control of the situation, but she was painfully away that if Torbjorn moved against her, she'd likely be dead in one strike.

"Relax, sneak thief." Torbjorn said. "I'm not going to kill you. At least, not now." He stepped closer to Aly, his normal Nordic height towering over her abnormal Altmer shortness. "I knew you took her ring." Torbjorn growled. "Not only did you try to take away the last precious piece I have of my daughter, but you then ridiculed me in public, and then you invaded the sanctity of my home." He jabbed her shoulder with a large finger. "The only reason that I do not strike you down where you stand," he straightened up and took a large, bracing breath before looking down on her with cold eyes, "is that you returned her ring to me."

Aly glanced down at his hand and saw the note. She smiled, feeling both validated and challenged. When she left the note, there had been no delusions that he would simply accept what he saw on that paper, but she had hoped to perhaps mitigate somewhat the righteous anger he had felt. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, my lord. But I am glad to see that the ring has been found." Aly said with a slow nod of her head. Torbjorn scoffed.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. ' _Papa, my soul is at peace_ '." Torbjorn's limbs were shaking as he glared at Aly. "How dare you? Haven't you cause enough trouble in Windhelm. Haven't you cause me enough pain?" Torbjorn spat at Aly's feet, drawing a slight gasp from the people who had stopped to watch the growing spectacle. "Leave Windhelm. This is your only warning. And I swear on my honor and by the blood of my daughter, if you ever return, I will kill you myself." With that, the Shatter-Shield patriarch turned and marched away, his shoulders high and guarded.

Aly released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Once the crowd dispersed, she craned her neck backwards and smiled up at Rune. "I don't think he likes me much." she stated. Rune shook his head and quickly slipped her armor piece over her head, letting it land heavily on her shoulders.

"Sometimes I wonder why I like you." Rune deadpanned as he fastened the buckles on her armor.

"Because I am fun? Witty? Impossibly charming?" Aly supplied, taking the greaves from the smith's hands before he dropped them at her feet. The man looked as though he wanted nothing more than to throw her 'elf-stink' ladened armor into the forge.

"About as charming as a goat." Rune retorted, helping her with her bracers.

"I'm not even going to dignify that blatant lie with a response." Aly said, glancing down at her side at the two large packs that sat on the ground. "But regardless of Torbjorn's threat, we still should get on our way." Aly shuddered as her mind reminded her that just on the other side of the wall across the blacksmithing yard was where Suzanna had been brutalized. She chased away the unbidden thought and smiled up at Rune as she hefted her pack onto her shoulders.

"C'mon. I'm going to spring for a carriage." Aly said with a wink.

ASASAS

"Thrice-damn you to the deepest pits of Oblivion, Alyswen! Why did we take the bloody carriage?" Rune screamed as he held onto the carriage for dear life. The rickety wagon creaked and groaned desperately as the old nag hitched to the front barreled along the road, huffing in exhaustion. Aly gripped the wood with white knuckles, fear draining the color from her face. _I swear that the Divines have something against me._ Aly thought to herself. _Things just keep getting better and better!_

A booming clap of thunderous words accompanied a wave of fire that rained over them. Aly and Rune shielded their heads as the cabby driver urged his horse to continue on. A shriek of pure, animalistic rage ran down Aly's spine like ice. Fear, the likes of which she'd never known, gripped her heart and she gazed up in terror at the winged demon that swooped overhead. It's brown-ish scales shimmered dangerously and its long, tattered wings caught the wind, propelling it past their cart. Aly saw its long tail, ending in a large, spiked diamond shape, flash to and fro like a rudder in the air, helping the reptile to control its flight. Aly's gaze ran up its neck to the business end of the beast. Two large horns curled back over its head, protecting its neck, two gleaming eyes burned with the brightest hellfire as it focused on its prey.

Aly watched the great beast soar overhead, its majestic form gliding effortlessly through the air as easily as she slipped into shadows. "Please tell me we're almost to Dragonbridge!" Aly yelled to the carriage driver. The man ignored her, spurring his horse to keep sprinting along the road. Rune pointed ahead of them and shouted. As if answering her prayers, a large stone bridge appeared in the distance, carved into the likeness of the very beast that pursued them. Aly cried out for joy as she and Rune clung to the cart.

The beast let out a bloodcurdling scream as it dove at them again. Aly felt the swoosh of the air under its wings as it made another lazy grab for the cart. _It's toying with us!_ Aly realized with a start. She glanced up at the monster and swore that even at that distance, she could see it smiling. Up ahead, Aly could hear the alarm bells clamoring from the small town.

The cart raced onto the bridge, both temporarily exposed to and protected from the dragon's attacks. Aly watched in horror as it flew in a wide circle to hover on the other side of the stone bridge. It drew in a deep breath before shouting a stream of fire in their path. Aly covered her face reflexively, ducking down into the carriage. The horse and cart burst through the wall of fire and continued up through the town, smoldering slightly but still very much alive. The dragon hissed menacingly as they passed underneath it.

"Fire!" came a strong shout, accompanied by a volley of arrows that peppered the beast. Most clattered back to the ground but a few stuck in tender spots, causing the dragon to take notice of the line of Imperial soldiers in the street. The carriage raced through the town while the dragon turned his displeasure onto the men of the Legion. Aly and Rune watched in horror as the dragon descended to the ground and snapped up one of the soldiers in his jaw, tearing him in half.

The smell of smoke and the sound of screams followed them nearly all the way to Solitude. All three sat in stoney silence as the horse, throughly panicked, refused to slow down and continued sprinting all the way to the city gate. Aly turned to look at Rune, her heart hammering in her chest as the large red wood gates slowly opened. Even as the horse slowed to a stop, a contingent of Imperial soldiers raced out of the city at a quick, loose march and headed back down the road towards the dull ringing alarm bell.

Aly grabbed onto the arm of one of the passing men. He tensed, his hand on his sword, but Aly just looked at him full of fresh fear. "It's a dragon." she said as she let him go. The color drained from the young face staring up at her, but he nodded gravely and raced ahead to the front of the march. Aly sat back down on the cart and tried to master herself once more.

"Dragons. By the Divines, they're horrible." Rune muttered to himself as he sat across from her. "Aly, are you ok?" She nodded, smiling weakly back at him. Suddenly the carriage lurched, causing them to look up. The horse, once a beautiful bay with an adorable white stripe on his nose, lay dead from exhaustion on the ground. The three unfortunate travelers, still reeling from their own horror, could do nothing but stare desolately at the poor creature that had given its life for theirs.

In all of her years traveling for the guild, doing jobs in this hold or that, she had never encountered a dragon that close before. Aly had seen a few attack Riften, but she always had ducked down into the Ratway with the rest of the guild while Nareed 'took care of business' as he liked to put it. She'd often daydreamed about one day perhaps fighting at Nareed's side as he sought to fell one of the winged horrors, but seeing one of the creatures up close had changed her tune greatly. "If I never see another one of those _things_ it'll be too soon." she said, shaking her head. Rune nodded in agreement.

He was the first of the three to move, grabbing his and her packs from the floor of the cart where they had miraculously remained for the entirety of the wild chase. He held out his hand for Aly, helping her walk shakily to the rear of the cart. Rune leapt down, then pulled the packs out as well before helping a still shocked Aly back down to the blessedly solid ground. Together, they walked around the cart, eyeing the driver who simply sat there, staring at his dead horse.

"Wait," Aly said, reaching into her pockets. She pulled out one of her tiny Septim stashes and handed it up to the driver who stared down at her in surprise. "It's not much, but it will get you a room for the night and a whole lot of tankards full of ale. Divines know, we all need that tonight." The carriage driver simply nodded, his face still eerily expressionless as Aly and Rune continued on into the town proper.

AN: Phew, what a wild ride! Get it? Cuz, ya know, chase scene? … Never mind, I'll see myself out.

Next chapter, Aly and Rune run into a friend and Aly makes a general nuisance of herself in one of the shops. Oh, and she might get serious at some point … maybe. Here's more cookies. No, they're not meant to bribe you to keep reading and yes, they are made with love. Also moon sugar.

Happy Hanukkah everyone! Seeya next week!


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